


Secret Weapon

by maqqy96



Series: Shepard Twins AU [2]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brotp, F/M, Friendship, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-04 09:31:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5329226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maqqy96/pseuds/maqqy96
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Faith Shepard has been studying under the ever-critical eye of the galaxy's top Spectre for several months. After discovering a certain fragrance that tends to drive male Turians wild, Faith manages to improvise a weapon that makes even the hardened Saren Arterius slightly nervous.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chromaticism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chromaticism/gifts).



> A one-shot offshoot of my '[ **Faith and Hope**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4946137)' series. It's what sparked the entire story to begin with, but I wanted to clean it up before posting it. Slight AU canon-divergent, where Shepard is born with a twin. Hope goes off and follows the original timeline, while Faith messes around out of the Alliance's watchful eye. Hope you enjoy!

"Oh, c'mon!" Faith Shepard was careful not to whine, though she didn't bother to hide her exasperation. "You're always complaining that I 'stink like a human', or that my perfume products are 'disgusting' or ‘nauseating."

Saren Arterius frowned, his mandibles pulled tightly against his face. The permanent scowl he customarily wore deepened as he stared down at his human companion. The fact that she felt comfortable enough around him to beg over insignificant issues disturbed him greatly. Settling himself against the wall of the market, he glared across the way at the shop that had begun their current discussion, silently despising it for simply existing and causing him trouble.

Closing his eyes, Saren counted back from twenty in the dialect of his home colony, interspersing various reasons that he kept Shepard around. 18, 17, for a human she was incredibly talented at cooking dextro food. 16, 15, 14, of all the people he had ever worked with, she was by far the most talented engineer he'd ever met. 13, 12, 11, despite his annoyance, the entire reason she was bothering him right now was in a misguided effort to appease him.

Faith stood next to Saren, watching him breath in and out calmly, knowing he did this to control his often volatile temper. While she didn't mind goading him into the occasional explosion - indeed, she often enjoyed his verbal tantrums, delighting in having unbalanced the overly self-controlled turian - today, she decided to take pity on him. She was aware that he was struggling to work past his deep-rooted prejudice of humans to train her, and while it had been rocky at first, she did appreciate his efforts. So out of respect, she simply sighed, leaned against the wall next to him, being very careful not to touch any part of his person, and waited. After several moments passed, Saren opened his eyes, glanced over at her, and frowned somewhat.

"While I do not enjoy the scent of humans, I have learned to tolerate yours. All I ask is that you do not smother yourself with those over powering perfumes anymore." Saren explained in a deceptively calm tone.

"Which was why I was asking for you to accompany me, Saren." Faith retorted, unable to keep some of her irritation from coming through in her reply. "I know how sensitive the turian nose is, and you're not the only one on board your ship who's commented on my scent. In the interest of keeping the peace, I'm asking for your help in choosing hygiene supplies that are less offensive to your delicate turian senses."

Saren scowled again, glaring at the store once more. Even from their distance, he could smell the plethora of conflicting scents, creating a nauseating cloud of unpleasant aromas that threatened to floor any species with a nose. He snorted in mild amusement.

"Those 'delicate turian senses', as you so artfully put it, are the very reason I am not going anywhere near that store. Even at this distance, I can feel it clinging to me."

Saren leveled a gaze at her as he saw her about to argue again. It was a look Faith had learned early on to mean the discussion was over, and Saren was relieved to see she allowed the subject to finally drop, though Saren disapproved of the pout that came to her lips. She was a grown woman, an assistant and student to the most highly decorated Spectre in the Galaxy, not some child being denied a plaything. Sighing inwardly, Saren gestured towards the store.

"Just because I refuse to wallow through a store of superfluous product does not mean you are forbidden from entertaining yourself. Feel free to browse and purchase as you like. I will be over at the Binary Helix shop when you are finished." Without a backwards glance, Saren stalked off. Faith stared after him, watching as everyone melted out of his way. Saren may not be the largest turian, she mused, but he had menace down to an art form.

Superfluous? Shepard snorted, shaking her head. Her vocabulary had expanded exponentially since she met Saren. She only wished he hadn't been so adamant about training her not to use her favorite type of language. Shepard rubbed the back of her head, the memory of his head-smacks every time she swore causing her to get sore all over again.

Sighing, she made her way to the Body Beauty store, ignoring the waft of overpowering perfumes that greeted her. Walking past the cosmetics and smiling briefly at the friendly asari who greeted her, she made her way towards the back where shampoos and body wash were located. Ignoring the endorsement that featured her smiling face, Faith glanced over her favorite hygiene products, feeling a sharp pang of regret. It was days like this that she wished she wasn't so driven to please others.

"Hello there, Ms. Shepard." A young human with frizzy brown hair approached Faith, smiling in a familiar fashion, though there was a slight hint of apprehension in her manner. "Are you shopping alone today?"

Faith couldn't help but grin. One more thing Saren had proven famous for. "No cause for alarm, Mira. Saren's off looking at new toys to murder people with."

The obvious relief that washed over the young woman caused Shepard to chuckle. Turning back towards the products, Faith tried her best to spot one that was strong enough to make her smell nice while not being overpowering to her turian companions. Mira sidled up next to her, giving her a curious glance.

"So what are you looking for? Sunflower and Lemon is out right now, and I know that's your favorite." Mira nudged Faith. Faith smiled, comforted by the familiarity that human women sometimes displayed one another.

"Sadly, I've heard rumors from my turian cohorts that it's a little too strong. I think the kindest reprisal was 'you smell like dish soap tastes'." Shepard snorted, remembering the way Karras had gagged the first time she'd walked by after showering. Mira nodded.

"Sounds like you're hearing the complaints our corporate office has heard as well. We've managed to come out with products that the Salarians and Asari like. Heck, we're even growing more popular with the Drell, though that market is understandably small. But the Turians?" Mira shook her head. Suddenly she perked up. "Hey, the entire crew you work with are all Turian males, right?"

"Yeah. Saren said adding a turian female or an asari to the mix would be a bad idea. Too distracting." Faith snorted, then raised an eyebrow curiously. "Why do you ask?"

***

Leonis Octavius glanced up as the airlock hissed, announcing the return of Saren and his little 'pet' human. Careful to keep his distaste to himself, Leonis smartly saluted Saren as he marched with purpose into the CIC, immediately all business as he ordered them to make ready to depart. As the second in command of the _Mariposa_ , Leonis made sure all of the Spectre's orders were followed promptly and precisely.

"Set a course for Omega." Saren barked his order, feeling the ship hum as it came to life around him. Without even looking at her, Saren managed to glare at Faith. "Stow your junk in the hold and pull out the mats. I'll be down in thirty minutes."

Faith was very careful to swallow the groan that rose from her gut. Pulling out the mats meant she was going to end up on Dr. Venicius' table that night. Though she appreciated his willingness to teach her how to fight and defend herself, she did wish it resulted in less concussions.

Hurrying down to the elevator, she quickly entered in the password to disable the hidden turrets (stupid Saren and his paranoia, Faith groused) and made her way down to the large cargo hold. Waving to Daelus, who was busy taking inventory, she made her way to where she'd created herself a little nest between stacked storage boxes. There wasn't much space for her; just barely enough for her hammock and a box underneath for her clothing and various supplies. Even so, she'd draped a couple bed sheets to create a small tent, giving her a little bit of privacy.

Setting her bags down, she quickly stowed the few pieces of clothing she'd bought, along with a new vibrator. She snorted to herself, thankful they'd been able to make a stop at the citadel. She'd never worn out a sex toy before, but apparently being trapped on a ship for months at a time with multiple good looking, young, and virile turian males was enough to drive her previous toys into the abyss.

Fishing around at the bottom of the bag, she found the bottles of unscented lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Along with them was a small, pink tinted tube containing a new fragrance Mira had told her that their company was trying to get opinions on. However, they were having issues getting the mix just right. Mira gave Faith the company's survey address, and asked her to get her turian crew mates honest opinions on the product in regard to aroma and strength.

Shrugging to herself, Faith quickly worked out the stopper, pulling aside the lotion and placing five drops into the mix. Inhaling from the tube, she caught the subtle, flowery smell, and it sent a pleased tingle down her spine. Reapplying the lotion cap, she shook the mixture together thoroughly, then squeezed out a bit and applied it to her hands, arms, chest, and neck. Sniffing the air a few times, she frowned, unable to smell much of anything. Shrugging, she stashed the lotion in her box, shut and locked it, and quickly left to pull out the exercise mats.

Saren arrived 15 minutes later, causing Faith to suppress a smile. If he said 10 minutes, he meant 5. Wily bastard. Bowing respectfully, she immediately got into a defensive position.

Saren paced in front of her, his eyes dangerous with intent. Without warning, he darted forward, quickly closing the distance between them. Faith rolled to the side, regaining her footing in time to catch a kick to her ribs. The impact still made her grunt, and before she could recover he was attacking again.

The fight dragged on for several minutes, Faith doing her best to stay out of reach as much as she could. She'd learned early on to remain on the defensive when it came to sparring with Saren. Any offensive attacks usually ended with her face in the mat. However, as the match drew on, Faith noticed that Saren seemed oddly distracted. He'd stare at her intently, looking for any weakening in her defenses, then his eyes would glaze slightly, he'd shake his head, and then he'd attack again. Faith also noticed that his eyes looked slightly dilated, the silvery-blue of his irises a sliver of color amidst almost complete blackness.

Faith must have been too busy with her concern for Saren's well-being, allowing her arms to dip just a little too low. Sure enough, Saren bolted forward, quickly bringing her down, flipping he onto her stomach, and pinning her to the mat for her mistake. Faith groaned at her sloppy defense, waiting to hear the biting reprisal. Instead, as he held her to the mat for just a few seconds too long, Faith heard a sharp intake of breath, and could almost feel the rumbling of his subharmonics. It was a certain type of subharmonic that she hadn't heard in a long time, but instantly recognized. Stiffening, she turned her head slightly, feeling his hot breath ghosting across her neck.

Saren was laying just inches above her prone form, inhaling deeply at the base of her neck, a soft, pleased purr mixed with his subharmonics. His mouth was partially open, the tip of his pointed tongue barely flicking out, as if he was tasting the air around her. Panic filled Faith's limbs, a heavy blush flooding her cheeks.

"Saren!" She barked in alarm, causing Saren to snap to attention, his eyes immediately riveting on hers. Almost guiltily, they flickered, taking in their predicament. Shaking himself, Saren quickly got to his feet, motioning for her to do the same. Though Faith did as directed, she backed away, wary. Saren cleared his throat, shaking his head, and resumed his usual stoic expression.

"Is there anything you want to talk about?" Faith asked, hesitant, though she did put her arms up in a defensive fighting position. Saren snarled, and leaped back into the attack.

Everything appeared to have returned to normal, although to Faith, Saren seemed to be a bit more vicious in his attacks, causing her to focus hard on not getting hit. After a few minutes of circling and jabbing at one another, Saren managed to capture her arm, locking it behind her and pulling her in close. Faith tensed, preparing to hit the mat again. However, Saren just held her close, one hand holding her arm behind her, the other wrapped around her waist. He was breathing heavy, and for a brief moment, Faith thought he must simply be tired. Then she heard that same pleased purr, and felt his face gently nuzzle the crook of her neck.

Faith's hair stood on end as she yelped in surprise. Once again, the noise seemed to knock Saren out of whatever he was doing, and he quickly released her. Faith scampered away, a hand pressed to the place where he'd nudged her, and an apprehensive look on her face. Once again, Saren managed to look slightly guilty before shaking it off, coughing, and returning to his usual stoic look.

"Again." Saren order, his voice sounding oddly thick. Faith shook her head.

"Not until you explain what the hell is going on." Faith retorted, backing away at the annoyed look that flashed across his face. Saren snorted, dropping his stance as he stalked forward.

"If you're too cowardly to withstand a simple spar-" Saren's mocking rant came to an abrupt halt as he stopped, standing only a few feet from her. His expression turned slightly confused as he sniffed the air. Abruptly, his eyes went wide as he grabbed her by the arms, pulled her forward, and sniffed heavily at her neck. Faith stayed absolutely still, wondering just what she'd do if Saren nuzzled her again. Instead, Saren's head stayed level with her collar bones, sniffing at her skin. Then he groaned.

"Shepard."

"Yes?"

"You bought something at that store." It wasn't a question. Timidly, Faith gave him a lopsided smile, even though she knew he couldn't see it.

"Yes...?"

Sighing heavily, Saren stepped back, releasing her arms. Once again, his eyes were heavily dilated, though he wasn't purring, and his expression said clearly that he'd figured out what was going on. It also said that it was her fault, and she was in for it. Saren stared at her for several moments, waiting. Finally Faith gulped in trepidation.

"They asked if I'd be willing to field test a new fragrance for them." Faith explained lamely, trying to appear as inoffensive as possible. Though Saren hadn’t hurt her without purpose or reason since very early in their work relationship, he still intimidated the hell out of her. "They said it was supposed to appeal to male turians."

Saren stared at her, his expression unreadable for several moments. He bowed his head, shaking it. After a few moments, his shoulders began to tremble, and Faith perked up, hearing a chuckle. Saren didn't chuckle. Ever. However, as she watched, the chuckle built until it was an all out belly laugh. For several moments, Saren appeared unable to control himself as he laughed long and hard. Faith held very still, unsure of how to respond to this new behavior. Finally, after leaving her in suspense for several minutes, Saren took a quivering breath, shaking his head. Thankfully, the look he gave to his student was more amused than annoyed.

"Might I enquire as to what the name of this fragrance is and where it comes from?" His tone indicated that he already had an idea, but Faith indulged him anyways.

"I think they're calling it 'Palavan Passion'. As to what it's made from, Mira said it was made from a flower that was native to Palavan that was really popular. I don't know the name of the plant, though." Faith finished, shrugging lamely. Saren flicked a mandible as he stared her down.

"It's called the 'Lovers Allure'. It's a very beautiful bloom that grows south of the mountains on Palavan, one of the few areas that are still fairly undeveloped. It gives off a pheromone that is almost identical to the one a young female turian gives off when she's...interested." Saren grinned at Faith's discomfort. "It's often exchanged between older bond mates to indicate an interest in bringing a certain..." Saren paused, giving her a knowing look. "A certain 'spark' back into the relationship."

Faith felt herself blushing up to her hairline. Privately, she was plotting the murder and body disposal of her friend, Mira, for not having warned her. Saren chuckled slightly.

"By itself," He continued, pacing as he often did while lecturing "it isn't all that powerful. However, when concentrated, it's pheromones tends to drive turian males to do many stupid things, such as inappropriate grappling with their human student."

Faith was now squirming. She couldn't even look him in the eye anymore. Saren stopped pacing, crossed his arms and leaned his weight back on one leg.

"Shepard." He spoke in a tone that brooked no nonsense. Hesitantly, she looked up at him, her face almost as red as her hair. Saren glared fiercely, all hint of amusement gone. "Go wash that off. Thoroughly."

Faith almost bolted from the cargo bay.

* * *

Apparently Saren had told the rest of the crew what had happened since the all-male crew had been giving her a wide range of both looks and comments. After assuring several crew mates that she was going to safely dispose of the rest of the bottle, she made her way back down to her nest in the cargo hold.

Grinning to herself, she quickly stashed the supplies she'd lifted from the med bay, hoping that nobody would question her. Smiling, she pulled out the concentrated vial of dangerous fragrance and immediately set to work.


	2. Chapter 2

Nihlus gripped Faith in a friendly bear-hug, lifting her slightly off her feet in greeting.

"Good to see you too, Nihlus, but I still need those ribs." Faith grunted, weakly patting the large Turian on the side. Nihlus chuckled wickedly.

"You have too many as it is." Nihlus gently set the tiny human down, then turned to face Saren, who stood almost an entire foot shorter than his former mentee. The two nodded in greeting, and immediately it was all business between the two. They began talking over the mission in a quiet tone, and Faith, knowing she would be informed of any relevant information, took a quick glance around Nihlus' ship, the _Antioch_.

Though very similar, both being of Turian design, there was a noticeable difference between Saren's ship and Nihlus'. For one thing, Faith's eyes immediately fell on the two female Turians, sitting at their respective stations. For another, the space felt a little less clean. Saren was meticulous when it came to his ship and would reprimand a crewman if there were _fingerprints_ around his station. Nihlus, it appeared, didn't mind if his crew members ate at their stations. Faith couldn't help but smile at the thought of the laid-back, hot-headed Nihlus serving under the cool and collected Saren for the required two years of Spectre training.

"Shepard." Saren barked, immediately bringing her attention back to the present. "Go stow our belongings in the hold and prep the spare cots-"

"I only have the one." Nihlus interrupted. Saren gave him an irritated look, then turned back to Faith, flicking his fingers in a gesture of dismissal. Faith nodded, then took off towards the hold, knowing just who would get to claim that cot. The ship was similar enough in make and model to Saren's that she had no issues navigating it, though she did pause at the entrance of the kitchen and blanch at the mess there. She passed the Salarian doctor that Nihlus employed, waving in a friendly fashion before reaching the elevator.

The cargo hold wasn't nearly as crowded as Saren's, though it was in an obvious state of disarray. Faith cringed at the sight, then simply began rearranging some of the mess, making a goodly amount of space for Saren to work in.

Setting up the cot near one of the walls, she set down the box he'd told her to carry, pulling out a cleaning tarp and laying it out, as well as his gun maintenance supplies. No sooner had she finished pulling out his spare armor and laid it out did Saren appear, taking a quick glance around the cargo bay with a pained expression. Shaking his head, he looked over at her set up, nodded once in mute approval to her, then sat down on the tarp. Pulling out his weapons, he lay them out and began doing his minute check of them, cleaning and repairing where needed. After a few moments, he glared up at her.

"Are you going to neglect your own weapons?" He asked pointedly. Faith gave him a half-grin.

"I already prepped them before we hit Omega." Faith shrugged, knowing full well that Saren's opinion was that anytime you set foot on Omega you should be prepared to clean _everything_ afterwards. "I think I'll hit Nihlus' kitchen and see if I can whip something up."

Saren looked like he was fighting back gagging. "Make sure you boil. The kava machine appears to be gaining sentience."

Faith giggled at the unexpected humor, earning herself a reproving look. Bowing slightly, she excused herself to the kitchen.

* * *

"Marry me and live on my ship." Nihlus groaned as he tore into the Turian-style pizza Faith had cooked up. Faith couldn't stop herself from laughing.

"I wouldn't be able to stand the constant mess. At least with Saren I only have to clean up after myself." Faith teased, earning guilty looks from the crew members that were piled in the kitchen. Grabbing the pot of kava, she refilled cups, making sure to grab an extra sugar for Saren. Saren was busy glaring down at Nihlus.

"You shouldn't even joke about such things, Nihlus." Saren chided, causing Nihlus to roll his eyes.

"I'm pretty sure Faith isn't going to try and hold me to that." Nihlus droned. "And even if she did, I know how to run and hide."

"Oh, I don't know Nihlus." Faith teased, keeping her tone neutral. "Saren's taught me quite a bit about tracking. This might be a good chance to get some field testing done."

Nihlus stared at her in mock horror for several moments, before Saren waved the crew out of the kitchen. All humor vanished as the three sat together, Saren taking one last sip of his kava before turning to business.

"We're heading towards a Blue Suns base on Odasst. They've been shipping combat mechs into citadel space that, if the Suns aren't paid their monthly fee, turn on the users and slaughter them. Normally, we wouldn't bother, since anyone unintelligent enough to deal with a mercenary group deserves whatever befalls them. However, enough random bystanders have been caught in the crossfire to warrant attention." Saren looked over at Shepard, as she recorded the details of the mission.

"We'll need to get through their security, preferably without being noticed, and get to their central control. From there, we can upload a virus to shut down all the mechs still connected to the system." Nihlus nodded, as though it was the simplest of tasks. Shepard blanched, knowing stealth missions were not Nihlus' forte, and Saren wasn't much better, preferring to simply blow anything sky high and be done with it. These two were about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the skull, Shepard mused.

"Any idea what sort of security you'll be encountering?" Shepard asked, her eyes on her omni-tool. Since she wasn't watching, she missed the subtle quirk of Nihlus' mandibles as he grinned, as well as Saren's disapproving scowl.

"It won't just be us dealing with their security." Nihlus teased. Shepard paused in her typing, looking at the two Spectres as their meaning struck home with her.

"I'm going in with you? All the way?" She asked breathlessly. Saren snorted.

"I haven't been training you all this time for my personal entertainment." Saren tapped his taloned finger against the table in irritation. "While I've taken you on certain small missions to test out your abilities, it's time for you to be tested in the field. Know this, however: This is a true Spectre mission. Nihlus and I will be too busy to rescue you should you get into any trouble. Furthermore, the council has asked us to use stealth on this mission. One slip up, and we lay waste the entire complex."

Faith swallowed hard, hearing the threat implied. If she messed up, not only would a lot of people get killed, but she would be blamed for it. She could kiss her training with Saren and any chance of breaking free from the Alliance goodbye.

"May I ask why we're using stealth?" Faith asked hesitantly. "I mean, it's a Blue Suns facility. Usually-"

"Don't question orders, Shepard." Saren glared fierce enough to silence her, though she seethed inwardly. "You don't need to understand 'why', only that it must be done." Saren gave her a sneering smile. "I know how much you value life. Unless you want several hundred humans, Batarians, and Turians to die needlessly, you'll use discretion."

Faith swallowed a growl that threatened to eek out. Saren always knew just how to press her buttons. He was being unusually cryptic though, even for him. Faith concluded it was most likely another one of his obscure 'tests' that he liked to pull on her at random.Very well, she thought as she straightened, if he wanted her to be discrete, she would be discrete.

"Any idea what security we'll be encountering?" She asked, once again typing into her omni-tool. Saren stared at her for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Obviously there will be security mechs, though nothing we haven't handled before. There will be quite a few patrols, however, since this is a somewhat important facility to the Blue Suns. Nihlus and I will be using tactical cloaks for most of the mission, so we won't be seen-"

"Unless someone is wearing a Kuwashii visor. They can see right through a tactical cloak." Faith interrupted, before catching the annoyed glare from Saren. He hated being interrupted, and it showed clearly in his disapproving expression. Thankfully Nihlus spoke up, sparing her a reprisal.

"How do you know that? I mean, I've used tactical cloaks for years and never had a problem." He asked. Faith felt her cheeks flame as she shifted uncomfortably.

"I... uh... ran an... experiment a few years ago." Faith replied, her eyes everywhere but on the two Spectres. Before Saren could chastise her for giving a partial answer, she cleared her throat. "I was trying to convince my twin sister on how effective cloaks can be, both in and out of combat. So I..." Faith coughed uncomfortably. "I striped naked in our room, activated the cloak, and we both went for a walk through the ward."

Nihlus burst out laughing while Saren appraised her, his expression unreadable. Finally he shrugged. "I should be surprised, but I'm not. So you were identified?"

Faith shrugged. "Kind of. We walked past a C-Sec officer showing the Presidium to his son. He had to have been around 14 or so at the time. Anyways, the boy had a half-visor over his left eye, and while his dad walked right by us, he was staring open mouthed at me. Got a good look too, since I was out in the open and there was no place to hide."

Nihlus had devolved into helpless giggles while Saren looked somewhat pained. "I hope that young man turned you in to his father." He said, exasperated. Faith chuckled wickedly.

"Actually no. He was staring so hard so I waved at him and smiled. He walked right into a tree and his dad turned and admonished him about not paying attention. My sister and I bolted."

Saren sighed with annoyed tolerance as Nihlus howled with delight, pounding his thigh with a closed fist. Finally, the chortling Spectre got himself under some semblance of control. "Y-you probably made that poor kid’s day with that stunt." Nihlus almost hiccuped with laughter. Saren cleared his throat loudly to bring the attention back to him.

"Embarrassing storytelling aside, I don't think Nihlus and I will have to worry about being spotted with our cloaks." Saren tapped a few buttons on his omni-tool, bringing up a map. It was a rough layout of the base, which surprised Faith. Usually they went in blind. As if reading her thoughts, Saren nodded towards the map. "This won't be exact, but this used to be a privately owned factory, and the blueprints happened to still be floating around. We'll need to be adaptable, since there's a good chance the details have probably been changed, but the overall layout should be the same.

"We'll go in here," Saren pointed to a sewer opening at the bottom of the base, "and work our way up into the main ventilation. It's large enough for an Elcor to pass through, but we'll still need to be quiet."

"Any traps or deterrents we should be expecting?" Faith asked, typing notes into her omni-tool. Saren nodded.

"That's one of the reasons you'll be going in first. Disarm and disable without setting off any alarms." Saren's voice sounded gruff and impatient, as though he thought she should have already known. "The ventilation system will only get us so far, however, which is where we'll be the most exposed. Thankfully, there's several rooms along that way, so anyone we meet, we put down, stuff into a room, and move on."

Faith was careful not to outwardly blanch at his casual way of slaughtering people. She'd gotten used to it - a fact that somewhat worried her.

"There's only one area that has me concerned however. There." Saren pointed to the screen at a large room in the wing of the complex they’d be entering. "The ventilation gets too small right before this room, so we'll have to exit and use the gangways that criss - cross above it. However, since that is a central area, there's a good chance it'll be heavily populated. It'll be the most difficult area to traverse undetected." Saren shrugged like it meant nothing to him. Probably didn't, Faith mused. After all, if they were found out, he got to blow something large and potentially explosive up.

"Anything else of note?" Faith asked. Saren shook his head, before standing.

"Stay sharp, stay smart, and above all-" He paused. Faith nodded, holding his steady gaze.

"Finish the mission." She finished for him. Saren nodded with approval.

"No matter what."


	3. Chapter 3

"Tell me, how is it someone so concerned about cleanliness and the like always manages to find the most disgusting ways of entering a facility?" Faith whispered quietly, despite the fact that there was nobody other than the three of them anywhere nearby. Not that anyone in their right mind would be slogging through the wastes of an industrial sized sewer, Faith mused, refusing to look down. Saren sneered at her.

"Would you rather use the front entrance?"

"They'd never see it coming." Faith gritted her teeth, gingerly lifting the boots of her Eclipse mercenary armor out of the muck as delicately as she could manage. The armor had been a last moment surprise from Saren, under the guise of her regular armor 'not being suitable to our task' and 'we just happen to have this mercenary armor laying around that's exactly your unusually tiny, human female size'.

Faith hadn't bothered asking.

They reached the ventilation system, and Faith immediately set to work. The security wasn't overly complicated, and what few alarms they had were rigged only at the entrance. Even so, Faith sent out a pulse of faint green energy to travel along the ducts, listening for any disturbances. Nihlus watched the energy fade away.

"One of these days you're going to have to tell me just what that is and how it works." He muttered quietly. Saren snorted.

"I saw her first. You can have her when I'm done with her."

"Nice to know I'm on level with an Asari maiden to you boys." Faith admonished them. Nihlus grinned, winking impishly.

"Enough chatter." Saren snarled at them. "Sound carries far inside a ventilation shaft. From this point on, no unnecessary noise." Both Faith and Nihlus nodded their understanding, though Faith very much wanted to smack the smug look off Nihlus' face. He'd been far too free with his flirtation lately.

After a few moments more, Faith turned her omni-tool to standby and carefully lifted the grate off the ventilation system. As quietly as she could, she stepped into the vent, though her footsteps still sounded eerily loud. Neither Saren nor Nihlus seemed to make as much noise, once again surprising Faith with their abilities. Breathing deeply (and instantly regretting it since they were still too close to the sewer), Faith did her best to calm her nerves, moving forward with a show of confidence.

It took longer than Faith would have imagined, but after almost an hour of crawling silently with only Saren’s stiff gestures to indicate which of the numerous pathways they needed to follow, they finally reached the end of the vents. Faith was about to reach out to push open the vent when Saren’s hand snaked out, grasping her elbow sharply. She halted her actions, turning to look at him. His expression was serious, more so than usual, and his eyes flickered towards the side ever so briefly. Faith started slightly, then nodded, realizing her error.

Checking around the perimeter for any bugs or alarms, Faith was relieved to find only a small one, tucked away to the side. She’d have been electrocuted badly had she actually touched the vent, she realized as she disabled the trap. Carefully, Faith leaned into the vent, checking in every direction she could see for any sign of movement. Moving as quietly as she could, she unscrewed the vent cover and gently lowered the grate to the metal walkway.

There were numerous individuals down below, several of them Turian males, all pacing about in an idle fashion. A female Turian was seated on a crate, talking with a human woman, both looking slightly bored. Faith frowned as she looked over the room.

“That’s a lot of people in one confined area for a normal day.” Faith whispered, barely above the sound of her own breathing. Saren inched forward, glancing over the edge of the grate. One look below, and he frowned, pulling back.

“There are certainly more than there should be on a day like today. We may have been compromised.” Saren scowled, then glanced at Faith, his expression questioning. Faith shook her head.

“No alarms have gone off, unless they have something non-electric powered rigged somewhere. I’ve been checking and re-checking every few minutes. Perhaps it’s not us?”

“Doesn’t matter now. We have a mission. We need to keep moving.” Saren’s tone, while confident, did not sooth Faith’s nerves as she spied the concern laced through his features. Glancing over the rim again, she spotted a few details around the room.

“Wait. There’s vents down there.”

“You think they heard you storming through their ventilation?” Saren jabbed. Faith shook her head again.

“Do any of the large pathways we crossed lead to those?” Faith asked, her expression intent. Saren stared at her for a few moments, then pulled up the map, quickly glancing over it. With a flick of his talons, he highlighted a few of the pathways that branched away from the one they had traveled.

“None of them reach the room directly, though there are four smaller ventilation shafts that lead into the room below. Why do you ask?” Saren edged away slightly as Faith grinned wolfishly.

“I have an idea.” Faith buried the chuckle that threatened to break from from her throat. Instead, she copied the map, then edged further back, forcing Nihlus to shift to the side so she could get around his bulk. Glancing back at Saren, who was staring at her intently, Faith cocked an eyebrow. “I know we’re on a schedule, but can we spare ten minutes? I may be able to create a distraction that won’t draw attention to us.”

Saren stared at her intently for several moments, his expression unreadable. Finally, he nodded.

“You have five minutes. Make them count, Ms. Shepard.”

* * *

Saren clenched and unclenched his fists multiple times, wishing he was able to pace within the confined spaces of the ventilation shaft. Silently, he was counting down the seconds, as the five minute mark approached. Glancing down at the room below for the fifth time in a minute, he noted that none of the individuals there were vacating the premises. Indeed, they seemed completely content and oblivious. Swearing silently to himself, Saren was half a mind to use his radio and demand an explanation. He glanced back once at Nihlus, whose expression on nonchalance had melted into one of concern. Cocking his head to the side in a mute question, Saren watched as Nihlus shrugged, glancing back down the vent as if willing their red headed troublemaker back into their presence.

Glancing back down into the room below, Saren was about to continue onwards without Shepard when a movement caught his eye. Standing under one of the vents below, one of the Turian Blue Sun mercenary shook his head aggressively. He wasn’t close enough to anyone to be in a discussion with them, and to Saren’s trained senses, the shake appeared to be more along the lines of shaking something off than from disagreement.

The Spectre watched the Turian for a moment, noting his sudden change in behavior. The Turian shifted uncomfortably, glancing around in an anxious manner. A few moments later, another Turian, standing on the opposite side of the room, began to mimic that same anxious behavior. Saren watched intently as more of the Turian males in the room began to behave oddly. A cold trickle of warning caressed down Saren’s spine.

“About time!” Nihlus hissed suddenly, causing Saren to whip his head around. Sneaking up silently (Saren promised himself to compliment the girl on her stealth - after he’d admonished her for taking so long, of course), Faith was all smiles. Nihlus sniffed the air surrounding the human, his expression curious. “What’s that lovely fragrance you’re wearing, my dear?”

Faith paled visibly. “Crud! Put your helmets on! Quick!” Faith grabbed her own helmet, jamming it into place. Nihlus did as told, though he gave Faith an appraising look. The cold feeling turned to a glacier that weighed down Saren’s stomach as a fearful suspicion dawned in his mind.

“Shepard…” Saren began to ask, before a scream interrupted him. Glancing down into the room, his fears blossomed like icy raindrops over his hide. Faith and Nihlus crawled forward, both wanting to see what the commotion was.

The Turian female had been backed into a corner by three of the males, her eyes wide and fearful. One of them reached out to grab her, but she unleashed a powerful biotic blast that sent them staggering backwards. Running for the doorway, she paused, glancing at her human friend. The woman was being accosted by two other male Turians, their bare, taloned hands running over her shoulders and back. She didn’t seem to mind the attention, so the Turian female fled from the room.

All around the room, the Turian males were fighting, biting, and touching one another in a way that made Saren both pity and envy them. Several Batarians and humans were aiming their weapons at their unexpectedly aggressive teammates, making their way towards the nearest exit. One of the Turians began ripping off his armor, pouring a bottle of water over his face and neck. Other Turians were beginning to undress, grabbing whoever was nearby.

Nihlus gasped slightly. “What in the ever loving-”

“Shepard.” Saren drawled the name, his tone pained. “Please tell me you didn’t…”

The Spectre left the question hanging there, staring intently at his human companion. The shrug she gave him only had a trace amount of guilt.

“It’s working, isn’t it?” Faith asked, her innocent voice sullied by the increasingly carnal acts happening far below. Pulling herself out of the vent, she quickly and quietly began moving down the catwalk.

* * *

The rest of the mission passed without incident, with the majority of the Blue Suns more interested in discovering the cause behind the sudden Turian hosted orgy happening in one of the more remote areas of the factory. The only person to stumble across the Spectre’s paths was an unfortunate Batarian recruit, whom Saren put down noiselessly and stuffed into a closet. Faith had been saddened by the necessary death, but one stern look from Saren had kept her on track.

As they fled silently through the corridors back the way they’d come, Faith couldn’t help but smile over a job well done. They’d managed to infiltrate the base, upload the computer virus, and get several male Turians laid in the process. Her only regret was the sound tongue lashing she was sure to receive from Saren the moment they were safe. She’d seen the disapproving look he’d leveled at her when they’d finally removed their helmets. Now, as they stood before the door that would lead them back onto the catwalks that overhung what the Blue Suns were now calling the ‘Party Room’, they paused a moment to put their helmets back on.

Saren made sure the breathing filter was at it’s highest level and considered telling Nihlus to do the same, but decided against it.

“Oh my!” Faith giggled slightly as the door opened, their ears accosted by the sounds of enthusiastic love making coming from far below. The three of them didn’t bother trying to be as stealthy as before, since it was unlikely any of the participants below would have heard a troupe of Elcor tap dancers, let alone two Spectres and their smug human counterpart.

Nihlus glanced over the railing, making out the human woman from before as she took on no less then five Turians, with a few others waiting nearby. “Now that’s some talent right there.” He nodded in approval. Faith grinned at him.

“I’m glad you approve.”

“I’ll approve more when you tell me how you managed to pull this particular stunt off. Though I gotta admit, while not the most effective distraction I’ve ever seen, it’s certainly one of the most...creative.”

“Oh look!” Faith whispered quietly, pointing. Down below, recovering from his excursion, was a gruff looking human male bent over a table. The Turian draped over him, unlike the desperate rutting of his fellows, was gently nuzzling his partner with affection. The two might as well have been alone for the loving attention they were lavishing on one another. Nihlus gagged while Faith sighed happily. “It’s so nice when two people can find happiness in each other.”

“I don’t think it’s happiness they found, Faith.” Nihlus shuddered, turning away. Saren glared back at the two of them.

“If you two don’t mind, we’re still on a mission. It’s not complete until we’re safely back on the ship.” Saren’s voice was dripping with sarcasm as he lifted himself into the ventilation shaft. Nihlus sighed, shaking his head as he followed. Faith lingered a moment, surveying her handiwork, before she followed the only two Turians on the station who were not thoroughly enjoying themselves.


	4. Chapter 4

The trip back to their shuttle was fairly quiet, the shuttle ride back to the ship more so, since none of the occupants seemed able to look either of the others in the eye. After a quick trip through decontamination, Faith excused herself to the showers, owing to the fact that she may have gotten some of the dreaded gas on her. Saren had enthusiastically agreed, refusing to remove his helmet until she was well gone. Even after, however, the scent lingered, bringing a warm rush to Saren’s normally cool veins. He found himself fervently hoping that one of the two Turian females on board wouldn’t mind entertaining him later.

Nihlus, after giving orders for the crew to plot a course to the nearest port and filing his report with the council, entertained himself by lingering outside the shower. He’d already cleaned himself thoroughly in his private room and dressed down into some casual clothing, leaning against the wall as he listened to the sound of water hitting soft flesh. A pleased shudder ran through him, which he quickly repressed lest any of his crew observe it.

The sound of running water halted, dragging his mind back to the issue at hand. Standing straight, he adjusted the cowl of his clothing, breathing deeply. Within a few moments, Faith emerged, her body still steaming from her extended shower. Nihlus did his best to appear nonchalant, giving her a slight smile as she stared at him.

“Were you waiting to use the facilities, Nihlus?” Faith asked curiously. Nihlus grinned bigger.

“It’s my ship, remember? I have my own private toilet and shower.” Nihlus straightened, folding his arms across his bulky chest. “Actually, I was hoping to talk to you before you retired for the night.”

“Is everything alright?” Faith tilted her head slightly, unable to mask the concern in her voice. Nihlus shrugged, easing the tension from her shoulders, causing him to chuckle slightly.

“You’ve been serving with Saren for far too long. I just wanted to talk about something that’s bothering me.” Nihlus chuckled, then motioned with his head for her to proceed him. The two of them walked to his lift, Nihlus nodding to his crew in a friendly fashion. Faith relaxed further, feeling comfortable with Nihlus’ easy-going attitude. As the doors of the lift closed behind them, however, Nihlus’ amused expression became tainted with disapproval.

“So you used a chemical agent to manipulate a bunch of male Turians into attacking one another.” Nihlus crossed his arms, his voice light and teasing while his subvocals were a blend of various negative emotions. “Do I even need to say how wrong that is?”

Faith glared over at him, not fooled by his attempt to mask his disapproval and annoyed at the judgmental tone. “Don’t judge me, Spectre Kryick. _Both_ Saren and yourself are constantly hitting me over the head with doing whatever it takes to complete the mission. You know me well enough by now to know how badly I feel about killing people casually. It was the easiest way to get through that area without-”

“But you didn’t need to lead with it.” Nihlus huffed slightly, the lift stopping before his private room. Striding out, he pulled out a chair, absently tossing the dirty clothes resting on it to the floor. “There were any number of ways we could have distracted or disabled those people.”

“You were pleased about it at the time.” Faith crossed her arms, refusing to back down. Nihlus stared at her for several moments, his expression melting from disapproval into one of worry.

“That was before I saw how it affected Saren.”

“Saren?” Faith stood straighter, her arms falling to her sides. “Is he okay?”

Nihlus shook his head. “You know how he is. He could be missing half his arm and he’d tell you he’s fine. I’ve known him long enough to know when he’s bothered by something, and you should have seen it too.”

Faith shifted uncomfortably, thinking back to the shuttle ride returning to the Antioch. She hadn’t noticed anything unusual, but then, she hadn’t really been looking either. She’d been too busy congratulating herself on being so clever. Nihlus shook his head, though his mandibles flickered in understanding.

“Just because the job was finished doesn’t mean you should turn off your head. ‘Always be observant’, as Saren would lecture.” Nihlus sighed, the sound whistling through his nose as he stared at the far wall. “He was far too quiet when we returned. When I pestered him enough, he finally told me about the substance you used, as well as your little sparing match. Losing control of himself is something Saren doesn’t just abhor, he fears it.”

“Saren?” Faith scoffed. “I didn’t think he knew how to be afraid.”

“I seem to recall having this discussion with you before, Ms. Shepard. And like Saren, I hate repeating myself.” Nihlus turned back to her, his expression hovering between mild amusement and scowling. “Saren might come across as infallible, but he’s as mortal as the rest of us. Just because he’s adept in burying his emotions doesn’t mean they aren’t there. That substance really unnerved him, and I managed to wheedle out of him that he had asked you to destroy it.

“Saren won’t lecture you on having kept it; after all, he believes in wasting nothing, even if he doesn’t necessarily approve of whatever it is. And it _was_ an effective weapon, so it’s one you should hold onto. I’m not saying it was morally offensive to use, and let’s face it, I don’t think any of those Turians are going to complain.” Nihlus huffed, all humor bleeding from his voice. “However, that should be a no-options-left type of weapon. Not because it isn’t effective, but because both you and I respect Saren too much to subject him to something like that unless there are no other options.”

Faith paused, her brow creasing as she mulled over what Nihlus had said. She knew, logically, that Saren was afraid - he was, as Nihlus had said, only mortal. However, a fundamental part of her refused to accept that Saren, of all the people she had ever met, would be afraid of anything. With a sigh that came from the soles of her feet, Faith slowly pulled the image of Saren down from the pedestal she’d mounted him on. Fear of losing control of yourself was a genuine fear, one she could respect.

“Okay, I understand what you’re saying, Spectre Kryick.” Faith gave the Turian a wan smile. “Saren is the single most frustrating individual I’ve ever worked for, and I will constantly butt heads with him, but I respect him enough to adjust my methods if you believe it’s a valid concern.” Faith straightened to walk away as she saw Nihlus relax back into his chair, but hesitated, frowning. “Out of curiosity, what’s the story behind Saren’s afraid of losing control? That’s a rather specific phobia to have.”

Nihlus smiled at her, but shook his head. “That’s a story you’ll have to earn from Saren yourself. It involves things that are far too personal to him for me to tell myself without his prior consent.” Nihlus walked over to Faith, patting her on the back as he lead her back towards the door to his bedroom. “Thanks for being reasonable, Ms. Shepard. I sometimes forget you’ve proven multiple times that you care about him almost as much as I do. Sorry if I came across as aggressive - you know how I am when it comes to protecting Saren.”

Faith chuckled. “That I do. Saren is very lucky to have such a loyal friend.”

“I’m your friend as well, Shepard.” Nihlus grinned as the lift doors closed behind her.

* * *

Shepard stepped off the lift, lost in thought. Turning over and over in her mind was her old image of Saren, the layers of pride and arrogance and perfection peeling away to reveal the individual hiding behind them. Shepard almost laughed at the ‘real’ Turian she tried to imagine Saren to be like, knowing he was still well enough hidden from her that she couldn’t fathom what he was _actually_ like. Only Nihlus seemed to know, and all she ever got from him was for her to be patient and get to know Saren on his terms. Though they’d come a long way since his initial abusive attitude towards her for being human, she was still a long way off from being trusted enough for him to open up.

As though thinking of the wily Turian had somehow summoned him, Saren strode down the hallway opposite her, heading her direction. He gave every indication of walking through her to get to wherever he was headed, so Faith prudently stepped to the side, allowing him to pass unimpeded. Saren gave no indication of even acknowledging her presence until he was almost completely past her. Stopping his long stride with a sudden jerk, he sniffed the air around her.

Faith held still, quietly sighing inward, knowing a disapproving glare about her smelling ‘too human’ was to follow. The cleaning products she had currently were all base products - no perfumes or deodorants to mask her natural body odors. She had even forgotten her antiperspirant down in the hold. Given how hot Turians ran their ships, she was already covered in a slick film of sweat, and silently vowed to run straight down to the cargo hold and apply at the very least 10 layers underarm deodorant.

To her continued surprise, Saren nodded once.

“I like that scent. Much more tolerable than the over powering perfumes you usually smother yourself with. Continue to apply whatever cleaning supplies you’re currently using, Ms. Shepard.”

Saren ignored her surprised stare as he walked away.


End file.
